Lose Your Gut

OVERVIEW

RIVERS CUT CANYONS. CONTINENTS DRIFT. THE GUY IN SEAT 23F hogs the armrest. Before we even notice, subtle shifts can add up to big changes. Social scientists call this phenomenon "creeping normalcy." It's bad news when it comes to climate change or paunch development, but you can use it as a tool to sculpt a new, leaner you.

A dramatic diet change—say, cutting hundreds of calories a day—can slow your metabolism and thwart your efforts to lose lard. But with smaller adjustments, your body's furnace won't dial down and weight loss may be easier. That's according to Scott Kahan, M.D., M.P.H., director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness in Washington, D.C., and a faculty member at Johns Hopkins University. He's one of many experts we consulted for this compendium of simple baby steps that add up to giant leaps for mankind.

In fact, focusing on just one seemingly trivial change each week can result in about four times the weight loss over a four-month period that a standard diet-and-exercise plan would yield, a study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found.

Another study published in the journal Eating Behaviors found that overambitious diet expectations can lead to big weight fluctuations. So focus on small steps and gradual weight loss for long-lasting results. Start by trying out the following tweaks—but only a few at a time!

Preload

Before a big restaurant meal, eat a 200-calorie snack that contains at least 15 grams of protein—a shake with whey protein powder, for example, or an apple with string cheese. With a gut full of satiating protein and fewer hunger hormones circulating, you'll eat less at the restaurant and cut your total calorie count as a result, says Dr. Kahan.

Don't Top Off

Picture a gas gauge in your gut; E means you're ravenous and F represents full. Aim to stay between a half and three-quarters of a tank by eating before you feel famished and stopping when you're satisfied, not stuffed, says Matt Lawson, M.A.-N.C.C., L.P.C., a behavior coach for the weight-loss company Retrofit.

Chew on It

Men in a Chinese study who chomped each bite 40 times ate 12 percent less than those who chewed 15 times. Chewing may kickstart the digestive process, speeding the release of gut hormones linked to satiety, the researchers say.

Think Like a Foodie

Take time to note the texture, smell, and source of your food. Saying things like "This grass-fed Neiman Ranch rib eye is juicy" can create a vivid "meal memory" that keeps you fuller for longer so you snack less later, a U.K. study found.

Read an Awesome Health, Fitness, and Nutrition Magazine

Researchers in the Netherlands say this tactic, called priming, works on a subconscious level. Most recently they found that people who were handed recipes with diet-related keywords when entering a grocery store bought fewer chips, cookies, and cakes—even if they said they hadn't really paid much attention to the handout.

Plan Store Trips

Starving shoppers really do load their carts with more high-calorie options, a study in JAMA Internal Medicine reports. The best time to shop is after breakfast on a weekend, says Anita Mirchandani, M.S., R.D., a New York City dietitian and the cofounder of FitMapped, a fitness directory website and app. If that's not a good time for you, buy a medium-size fruit or some fresh vegetables from the salad bar to nosh on as you shop.

Snack on This, Not That

Snack on This

2 celery stalks, 1 cup carrot strips, 2 Tbsp Sabra guacamole
120 calories
4.5 g fat

5.3 oz Fage Total 2%, strawberry
140 calories
2.5 g fat

1 oz air-popped popcorn with 1 tsp chili powder
118 calories
1.5 g fat

1 Thomas' cinnamon raisin English muffin, 1 Tbsp cream cheese
190 calories
6 g fat

Not That

15 Lay's Classic potato chips with 2 Tbsp Lay's Smooth Ranch dip
220 calorie
15 g fat

1/2 cup Haagen-Dazs strawberry ice exam
240 calories
15 g fat

6 Tostitos "hint lime" tortilla chips; 2 Tbsp Gordo's cheese dip, mild
220 calories
13 g fat

1 Entenmann's single-serve cheese danish
400 calories
19 g fat

Drink This, Not That

Drink This

Water with 1 lemon wedge
1 calorie

NUUN Active Hydration Lemon+Lime electrolyte drink tabs
8 calories

1 shot (1.5 oz) vodka with club soda
97 calories

8 oz V8 vegetable juice
50 calories

Not That

20 oz Coca-Cola
240 calories

12 oz lemon-lime Powerade
80 calories

12 oz Sienna Nevada Bigfoot Ale
330 calories

AriZona Kiwi Strawberry juice drinks (8 oz)
120 calories

Steal a Workout from a Pro

D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid helped cut his body fat from 19 percent to less than 10 percent with this workout. Do each exercise for 20 seconds, with 20 seconds of rest between moves. Do the cycle two or three times. Interval-style training can increase calorie burn for up to 22 hours.

1. Shadowboxing
2. Jumping rope
3. Walking lunge
4. Side shuffle with medicine ball
5. High-low exchange
6. Box jump
7. Pushup with row
8. Rotational situp
9. Burpee
10. Pullup

Change Things Up

Swap rowing for running or free weights for machines. New moves can help speed your heart rate from 60 percent to 80 percent of your max, so you burn an extra 120 calories an hour, says Scott Danberg, M.S., fitness director at the Pritikin Longevity Center + Spa.

Hit the Sand

Running on a shifting surface can force you to expend 30 percent more energy than running on grass does, according to a study in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. The result is more calories burned, because your muscles must work harder to stabilize your body. Nowhere near a beach? No problem. Just choose the least stable terrain you can find—soft grass or a trail, say—instead of hard asphalt.

Go Back-to-Back

To crank your metabolism, rest just 30 to 60 seconds between your weightlifting sets, says trainer Marc Perry, C.S.C.S., C.P.T., founder of BuiltLean.

Wake Up Earlier

. . .and work out before breakfast. (Okay, not all of these are easy.) You'll force your body to burn stored fat, a 2013 U.K. study found.

Do Full-Body Cardio

The more muscle groups you involve, the more calories you torch. A 175-pound guy burns about 335 calories in 30 minutes of vigorous rowing—138 more than in an elliptical workout.

Move More Outside the Gym

A 175-pound guy doing any of these can burn about 40 calories in 10 minutes.

• Bathe the doc
• Carve wood
• Play guitar
• Mop the kitchen floor
• Make the beds
• Pull weeds
• Waltz, or tango

Walk or Run a Mile

C'mon, it'll just take a few minutes. Doing this instead of driving that distance can result in a BMI decrease comparable to cutting 100 calories a day, a study in Preventive Medicine suggests.

Race a Fitter Friend

Cyclists competing with an opponent who was slightly speedier pushed hard for 9 minutes longer than those who cycled alone, say researchers at Michigan State University.

Listen to Your Past

Music that inspires you helps you work out harder and longer, research shows. You'll be motivated most by songs that were playing when you had your first kiss or won something, says Lee Brown, C.S.C.S.D., Ed.D., of California State University at Fullerton.

Make a Deal

Go to stickk.com and pledge to fork over cash if you miss a goal. In a Mayo Clinic study, some people in a weight-loss plan earned $20 a month if they shed pounds and paid $20 if they didn't. They lost 7 pounds more in a year than those with no cash at stake.

Track Your Meals

Your smartphone app can help you lose more weight than a paper journal can, reveals British research. Try MyNetDiary Pro ($4, mynetdiary.com): It has a superfast scanner, letting you enter calorie data by scanning the bar codes on food packages. Keep it handy on the weekends, especially, when the binge risk looms largest, says Leslie Bonci, M.P.H.,R.D., director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Break Out the Measuring Spoons and Cups

You don't have to use them religiously, but haul them out every few weeks for a spot check. Serve yourself a typical portion, then measure to see how far you've strayed from the recommended serving size, says Allison Stowell, M.S., R.D., a dietitian for the nutrition guidance program Guiding Stars. See right for frequently overserved foods.

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